


Beginnings

by ToxicRadiation



Category: X-Men (Comicverse), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Limbo, France (Country), Gen, Limbo, Mutant Powers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-26
Updated: 2017-10-26
Packaged: 2019-01-23 17:17:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12512332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToxicRadiation/pseuds/ToxicRadiation
Summary: Piotr and Illyana go pick up a special member of the X-Men.





	Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> I don't usually bother posting stuff that has OC's in it, unless it's a character/reader thing, but I'd like some feedback on this.
> 
> Also I wrote this after reading Extraordinary X-Men, so if you're not familiar, you may be a little confused.

The sun ascended gently in the ever brightening sky, as the early risers began to scramble around on the ground below. The small businesses and boutiques slowly opened one after another following the pace of the rising sun. 

In one small apartment located on Rue 24, above the boutique  _ Elle est une princesse _ , a large and powerful flash of blue light went off. It destroyed nothing and made no sound. This light went unnoticed through the tiny hallway windows of the apartment. It left two figures standing before a cold blue door reading, “24” on it.

“Are you sure this is the right place, Illyana?” the wide and tall figure asked in a mildly agitated voice.

“Of course. This is where Cerebro said she is...besides she always used to talk about living here. This is where she wanted to end up Piotr,” she replied as she placed her large sword on her back. She smiled at her brother and said, “Well...guess it’s time to knock. I can’t wait to see her face when she opens the door…” 

Illyana reached toward the blue door as Piotr said, “I just hope she doesn’t ask about Kurt.”

Illyana froze in place. She looked at her brother and said in a harsh voice, “She _ will _ ask about him, you know that. And she’s strong enough to hear the answer...after all Storm did ask us not only to recruit her, but to ask her to fix him.”

“Right, sister. You will handle that part of the conversation then,” he replied.

“You’re really terrible Piotr. You’re so grumpy. Everything will work out,” Illyana assured him as she knocked loudly on the door. 

“I’m not grumpy,” Piotr mumbled and Illyana just rolled her eyes as they waited there. 

After they stood there for about five minutes Piotr complained, “This is...taking a while.” 

Illyana ignored his complaint and knocked again. This time they heard rustling and movement on the other side of the door. After a moment came a shouted, “Je viens! Un moment s’il vous plait! Desole!”

“See Piotr? She’s coming,” Illyana said smiling.

“Since when do you speak French?” he asked frowning at her.

“I don’t, but what else could she be saying?” Illyana asked now smirking at her brother.

The blue door burst open and a young woman of about 26 stood in the doorway going on and on apologizing in fluid French. When she finally looked up and saw Piotr and Illyana, her green eyes became wide and she froze. “Peter? Illyana? It’s amazing to see you again,” she said as she jumped up and hugged Piotr and then Illyana. 

“It is good to see you again Ella,” Piotr said smiling.

“Yes, the last time we spoke was over--” Illyana cut off as Ella frowned and opened and closed her mouth a few times before interrupting with, “Oh! Um...please come in...before any of my neighbors wake up.” Ella motioned to the doorway. As they walked in, she pointed to a white leather couch and a matching arm chair, “Please sit down. Would either of you like anything to drink? I was in the middle of brewing my own cafe au lait when you knocked.”

“I’m fine,” Illyana replied as she sat down on the arm chair with a whoosh.

“I would love some when it’s ready,” Piotr said carefully sitting on the couch, which he pretty much completely took up.

“Alright then. It will be ready soon. You two will have to excuse me though, I’m going to change clothes quickly,” Ella said as she disappeared into the back of the apartment.

Illyana smiled and whispered, “She seems a little different herself. She was never so scatter brained before…”

“We don’t know what’s happened to her since...well everything with Cyclops. Besides she’s probably just surprised to see us. I was shocked to see you sister,” Piotr said. “I wonder if she’ll really give up her life here and come with us?” he asked.

Illyana frowned and said, “You know Ella would never abandon The X-Men Piotr. She always used to say if we ever needed her, all we had to do was call...Besides when she hears about Kurt she won’t say no.”

“What about Kurt?” Ella asked, now fully dressed instead of in a bathrobe. She was tall and skinny. Unnaturally tall; about the same height as Piotr. She had long curly black hair that fell down to her waist. She was wearing casual clothing: a light pink t-shirt and blue jeans. Her green eyes sparkled with her question.

“Oh, we’re going to talk to you about that. But first we have some other news,” Illyana said as she ran a hand through her blonde hair. Ella could feel her stomach drop. She walked over and sat down in the arm chair across from Illyana.

“I’m guessing this news isn’t anything good...The fact that you two are here at all must mean something is wrong,” Ella said frowning. ”I was so happy to see old friends that I--” She cut off and looked down. Then she looked up at Illyana. Ella saw she was the same as the last time they’d seen each other. 

The usual aura of confidence surrounded Illyana. Ella could tell she was still laid back, yet serious when the need came and very powerful. Ella smiled to herself, as she was pleased to see Illyana was well.

She noticed her friend’s straight long blonde hair and blue eyes were also the same. Her costume was more or less the same: a black revealing top, tight black pants, black head pieces that looked like little rectangles coming from her hair, and of course black heels. 

She and Illyana had been sharing knowledge of the mystic black arts the last time they were together. They were in Limbo shooting off new spells at random. It was reckless and dangerous, but it made for an extreme high. That felt like yesterday to Ella and to be honest, she missed it. She missed the X-Men. There wasn’t a day when she didn’t think about her past with the X-Men, or the missions she went on. However, since she left with Kurt she’d created a life for herself here in Paris. She couldn’t just leave it, even if she wanted to.

Ella looked over at Piotr and saw that he was different. The lightness and gentleness in his aura was gone. Ella could see he was tired and angry. She noticed his bushy beard and sideburns. She’d never seen him with that much hair before. He was also bigger, not heavier necessarily but somehow burlier. 

“Um Ella?” Illyana asked. She gently placed her hand on Ella’s arm. “Are you okay?” 

Ella blinked a few times and turned to Illyana, “Of course I am. Please, tell me what brings you two here.”

Illyana shifted in the armchair and then asked, “Have you heard of the terrigen mists?”

“Yes, though I’ve only heard of them mentioned once or twice…” Ella responded. 

“Exposure to the mists is making mutants sick with what we’re calling the M-Pox. The disease makes them mutate further and further...until it eventually kills them,” Illyana explained with a grim expression.

“What? Are you sure? For such a thing to exist…” Ella muttered as she brought a hand to her forehead. 

“Unfortunately...I’m sure. Hank has been doing research on the mists and the m-pox. He’s discovered something else about the mists,” Illyana said. She prepared to take a deep breath before continuing, but was stopped mid breath as a kettle began to scream. 

Ella jumped up and then looked over at Illyana and Piotr, “I’m sorry. I’ll go finish making the coffee and then I’ll be right back.” Ella’s guests nodded and she disappeared into the kitchen.

“She does seem...off. Right Piotr? Do you see it too?” Illyana whispered to her brother. “The way she keeps spacing out and how choppy her behavior is...makes me think she’s not all there. Not as bad as Kurt, but still…”

“I think you’re being too hard on her Illyana. She’s been living here peacefully and then suddenly we show up. I imagine this is a shock...especially since we bring only bad news,” Piotr said as he folded his hands on his lap. 

“You weren’t as close to her as I was, Piotr. She’s different,” Illyana responded.

“I was just as friendly with her as I was with any other X-Man. Perhaps she has grown up,” Piotr said.

Illyana had her mouth open to respond, but Ella came back holding two small mugs on even tinnier saucers. She was walking slowly in order to properly balance everything. Ella eventually placed the mug and saucer down in front of Piotr. She put hers where she was sitting and then turned to grab the milk and sugar.

Piotr picked up the mug as gently as possible. It was a sturdy mug, but even so he’d rather not break it.

“What do you think Pete?” Ella asked she sat down. “Strong isn’t it? That’s why it’s in such a tiny glass. Any more caffeine than that and you’d hate yourself for it,” she added smiling.

“It is...rather strong...It’s very good though. Thank you Ella,” he responded slowly sipping it. Illyana smirked and said, “You look even bigger holding such a small mug Piotr.” 

He frowned at her and responded, “I’m not _ that  _ big.”

“I know I know. You’re so sensitive now brother,” Illyana said with a sigh. Ella wrapped her hands around her mug and asked, “Where were we Illyana?”

Illyana’s eyebrows drew together and Ella took mental note of her change in demeanor. “I was saying that Hank discovered that the mists are sterilizing mutants. There are no more new mutants popping up and there won’t be ever again,” Illyana said making careful eye contact with Ella. 

Ella sighed and said, “I can’t believe I forgot that the x-men never skimp when it comes to bad news.” 

Illyana ignored Ella’s comment, sat back in her seat and shook her head, “I’m sorry to have to tell you all this Ella. But mutant kind is in trouble and we need all the x-men we can get.”

“But who is running things now at Xavier's? And where are you guys? I watch the news, I know the manor isn’t physically in New York anymore,” Ella said putting her empty mug down.

“Storm has taken over as Leader. She had Illyana move the manor into Limbo where it would be safe,” Piotr said still holding his mug with one colossal hand.

Ella frowned and said, “Limbo? Illyana even if you run things there that doesn’t make it a safe place…”

“I’ve placed plenty of warding spells on the area and Forge has created a failsafe system. Limbo is much safer than anywhere else right now. I swear,” Illyana said. Ella could see and feel the confidence and genuinity in her words.

“Alright. So I take it that’s why you’ve come here. Things are dire so you want me to go back to being an x-man,” Ella said thinking out loud.

“You know you never stop being an x-man Ella. It’s who you are,” Illyana said.

“I know that. And I know that I can’t turn my friends down, but I can’t just teleport away with you right now either,” Ella responded as she stood up and started collecting the saucers. “I’m a teacher here. For grades one through five. I rotate to different classrooms to teach English Grammar. It’s not my dream job sure, but it’s certainly not bad. I’ve made a life here and I can’t just abandon it in an instant,” Ella continued as she brought the dishes into the kitchen. “But I love what I am and Xavier’s dream and the X-Men more than anything. So I’ll join the team again, but all I ask is that you give me some time to let the school know I’m leaving...and that I get an opportunity to say goodbye to the children,” Ella finished as she walked back and sat down again. She looked at Illyana and Piotr, waiting for them to respond.

“How long will that take you?” Illyana asked.

“A school week, so five days,” Ella responded. Illyana nodded, then sighed and looked at Piotr. Piotr raised his eyebrows and shook his head. “What...are you two doing?” Ella asked. “Did one of you get telepathy or something?” she asked with a bit of desperation in her voice. 

Illyana turned to her and held her hand, “Normally I would be fine with giving you all the time you need to get ready to leave here...but we have more news we need to share with you...and it’s because of that that we really don’t have any time to spare.”

Ella noticed that Illyana and Piotr were giving off feelings of worry and fear. She couldn’t tell why exactly, but it was obvious that it had something to do with what they were about to tell her.

“Okay. This news is about…?” Ella asked trying to make it as easy as possible for Illyana to finally just say it.

“Kurt. I’m sorry. I know how close the two of you were--”

“What? Wait, explain what’s going on with Kurt Illyana. You apologizing right away makes it seem like he’s dead again,” Ella said as she interrupted her friend and now teammate. Ella was fidgeting with her hands, now anxiously awaiting to hear what had happened to Kurt.

“Perhaps I should explain Illyana,” Piotr said as he lightly placed a hand on his sister’s shoulder. She frowned at him and then noded. “We went to collect Kurt before you. We found that Mister Sinister had captured him for testing in genetic experiments.” 

Ella clasped her hands together and brought them to her mouth, “You don’t mean…” her voice trailed off, but after a moment she continued with, “Sinister...changed him do you?” Her eyes were wide as she focused on Piotr.

“No. Sinister doesn’t seem to have harmed him in any way. We can guess he took some of Kurt’s blood, but other than that physically he’s fine,” Piotr responded.

“Kurt is back at the mansion then?” Ella asked.

“He is,” replied Piotr now fidgeting himself.

“You just said that he’s alright physically...which means since you felt the need to specify...that something is wrong with Kurt mentally...right?” Ella asked now looking down at Piotr’s feet.

“Unfortunately we noticed that...he is not at all how he used to be. He hardly recognizes any of us and he only speaks in Bible verse. Kurt can teleport, but only when he believes his life's in danger,” Piotr explained trying to be as clear as possible.

“W-What do you mean “only when he’s in danger”?” Ella asked. The corners of her mouth were twitching as she tried to keep herself together. Illyana reached out for her hand again and Ella let her grab it. 

“Sinister was keeping Kurt behind a red glass in some sort of pod. He could have just teleported out of it...we didn’t see anything that was stopping him. Yet even when we defeated Sinister and his team, Kurt waited for me to free him,” Piotr said avoiding Ella’s eyes.

“I was thinking maybe he wouldn’t teleport out of that pod because he would be outnumbered by Sinister’s men,” Illyana added in. 

“That would never have stopped Kurt. The Kurt I knew would have escaped that place with ease and then alerted the x-men. I’m sure,” Ella said. “The fact that he had to be rescued like you described Peter is...alarming.” Ella looked at the siblings and with a trembling voice asked, “S-So Kurt is the reason I’m needed at the Manor right now...you guys think I can help him? What makes you think that?”

“Your relationship with him was closer than anyone else’s…” Piotr trailed off and a moment later continued with, “I remember how he would talk about you Ella. I’d never heard him speak of anyone that same way...surely you know this.”

“Yes…” Ella responded.

“Storm was thinking that with the way your abilities work maybe there’s something you could do for him. Or at the very least you could help Jean when she enters his mind,” Illyana said.

“So Jean is with you guys? I won’t even bother to ask how...I’m just glad she’s going to help Kurt,” Ella said as she wrapped her arms around herself. 

Illyana sat on the edge of the armchair, leaning towards Ella and gently asked her, “I’m sorry to be so pushy Ella, but are you ready to leave?” 

Ella sighed and put her arms down by her side. She stood up and looked down at Illyana and Piotr with her eyes nearly glowing from her determination. “I’ve been living a lie here. I am an X-Men first and foremost, and right now I’m needed. I’m more than ready. Let’s go.”

“Alright. Everyone stand up and I’ll take us home,” Illyana said as she got up and took her sword off of her back. Her sword began to glow a bright blue and with one smooth motion she cleaved their way through space and time, making sure to stop at Limbo.

. . .

“We’re here,” Illyana proudly announced as the blue light faded and the scorched lawn came into view. Storm was standing right in front of them and she welcomed Illyana and Piotr back right away. She then brought them off to the side to speak for a moment. Ella was fine with this and took the opportunity to look around from the main lawn. She could see the young mutants scurrying around from tent to tent caring for what she guessed were refugees. Things looked a little beat up and in a slight bit of disarray, but Ella could feel the happiness and the love she had always felt at the Manor. She could sense Illyana’s magic as well. It was obvious that her spells were controlling the atmosphere here, while keeping the demons and such out. It was risky to hide the manor in Limbo, but with her and Illyana there it should be fine. 

Ella saw Illyana and Piotr finish up their conversation with Storm and then walk away. Storm made her way over to Ella giving her a bright smile as she said, “Welcome my dear friend. I cannot thank you enough for joining us again. I apologize for not addressing you sooner, but Illyana, Peter and I had something to discuss.”

“Don’t worry about it Ororo,” Ella said as she smiled back. “This place is amazing. You’ve really outdone yourself. It’s even more peaceful than when Xavier was here...he would be very proud.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that, but thank you. It’s...a hard job, but I’m glad I decided to do it. You must want to find yourself a room and relax. The Manor hasn’t changed very much, but I can still show you around if you’d like,” Storm offered. 

“I appreciate the warm welcome and the help to find a room, but I’m...I’m concerned with Kurt. When is Jean going to try to help him? How has he been here?” Ella asked as she started slowly walking to the manor’s front steps. 

“I’m sure Illyana and Peter told you he is...unwell,” Storm said as she sat down on one of the stairs. Ella sat down next to her. 

“Yes, they told me all about him...and of course the situation at hand. I only ask about him right away because...I think I can feel his suffering...even from here. It stands out in such a serene place Ororo,” Ella said frowning. 

“Thank you for wanting to help him Ella. It’s hard for everyone to see him as he is...especially after knowing him as he was…” Storm trailed off and soon picked up with, “It angers me. Kurt was gone for such a long time. When he finally returned so much happened and then this.”

“I know. Trust me, I understand. He doesn’t deserve whatever caused him to become the way he is...and knowing Kurt it would have to be something terrible,” Ella said as she hugged her knees. “I need to tell you something Ororo...something I didn’t tell Illyana or Peter.”

“Go ahead. You have my full attention Ella,” Storm said looking firmly at Ella. 

Ella took a deep breath and started, “When I first moved to Paris I made him promise me that we would keep in touch. If I forgot to call him, he would have to call me. He happily agreed to that,” Ella said still holding her knees. “And at first he called me twice a week. I told him I was planning to call him once every other week, but he said not to bother...that he would just call me. After a month he stopped calling. I got worried Ororo…” Ella trailed off for a moment while she thought. She soon picked up with, “So I called him again and again, but he never picked up. In the end that was all I did and it wasn’t enough...I didn’t know how to get in contact with Illyana or Peter or anyone else…” Her words trailed off again as she choked on them. She managed to continue with, “I-I was...I was too afraid to use magic to try to find him...I was afraid he’d pull me back into this life, when I thought I was happy with my new life. But I was wrong...my new life wasn’t making me happy Ororo...I-I selfishly didn’t help him and now here I am anyway, and it seems he’s paying for my selfishness…” Ella trailed off one last time as she burst into tears. 

Storm frowned and wrapped an arm around Ella, “You can’t blame yourself. You don’t know anything for sure, and you certainly don’t know what might have happened had you found him.”

“I could have...helped him. Maybe he wouldn’t have ended up like he is now…” Ella said as she leaned on Storm’s shoulder.

“Perhaps, but you also could have both ended up like he is. Then Jean would be alone and trying to save two people. I like these odds better Ella,” Storm said. She placed her hands on Ella’s shoulders and looked into her eyes, “You understand what happened to Kurt is not your fault right?” Ella nodded in response. “Alright then, let me show you to your room and then afterwards you can say hello to everyone if you wish.” Storm stood up and held out a hand to Ella. Ella took it and asked, “When is Jean planning to...help Kurt?”

“Tomorrow afternoon. She’ll contact you when she’s ready,” Storm said as they walked into the Manor.


End file.
